Male toilet spray shield

ABSTRACT

The present invention consists of a removable male toilet over spray shield constructed from lightweight thermoplastic or its equivalent that is provided with a semi-elliptical upstanding wall which removably sits within the lower portion of the inner rim of a toilet bowl when the toilet seat is upstanding. The device is provided with flange attachment means which merely sits upon the toilet seat rim when in use. The device may thus be easily lifted onto and away from the toilet bowl rim without complicated attachment means. To facilitate insertion and removal on a toilet, a handle may be provided within the semi-elliptical walls, at the rear, or on the top portion of the device. A domed cover may also be provided in order to prevent upward spray from falling onto floors and walls. The device is intended to promote proper toileting in young boys and may thus be provided with stickers or amusing raised images to ensure proper urine channeling.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of sanitary devices, and moreparticularly to urine over spray shields which removably attach to atoilet and prevent urine from spraying outside a toilet bowl onto wallsand floors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toilet over spray shields are extremely helpful for the training ofyoung male children to properly use toilet facilities. Consequently, theuse of toilet over spray and splash shields is well known in the priorart for the purpose of preparing young boys for urinals in publicrestrooms as well as household toilets in a neat and orderly fashion.There are a number of toilet over spray and splash shields currently inthe market which are generally directed towards the purpose ofpreventing urine from being sprayed outside of the toilet bowl. Whilethese devices to a certain extent prevent urine from splashing andspraying outside the bowl, most of them fail to disclose outwardlyprojecting flanges as the sole and convenient attachment means to thetoilet seat rim. In addition, none of the disclosed are equipped with adomed cover to avoid upward splash. Moreover, few have handles that arebuilt into the device for easy removal and those that do have handles atall include removably attached handles (i.e. screwed, glued) that maycause injuries to the youngest of users.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,780 issued to Krischer discloses aurinal training device for little boys with a frustoconical shield wallthat sits on the entire inner rim of a toilet having a cover at the topto prevent spillage from all directions. However, the lack of a largeopening for urine entry prevents proper shielding from all directions ofspray. Moreover, the device disclosed does not disclose a handle makingit difficult to remove and attach for younger users, nor does itdisclose a method for keeping the toilet seat clean during use. In fact,this device would soil the toilet seat during use.

Further, U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,919 issued to Otto and Swamm disclosesanother toilet shield that is open at the top rather than covered butwhich attaches to a toilet rim by means of an outwardly projectingflange. However, the complicated attachment means wherein the outwardlyprojecting flange necessitates lip means to hold makes the devicecomplicated and difficult to use. In addition, the device does notdisclose a domed upper exterior that shields urine from upward spraying.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,778 issued to Renshaw discloses yetanother toilet guard that is funnel shaped and made from a solidmaterial. Still this device fails to disclose a dome shaped upperportion which may serve as a cover and shield the area surrounding thetoilet from upward spray or back splash. Furthermore, the device doesnot include a built in handle for easy removal.

Yet another device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,431 as issued to Wertz disclosesa rigid plastic urinal trainer that is tubular, open at the top and isattached to an entire toilet bowl with specific lips, having means towash out urine via tube attached to the water main. The Wertz devicealso discloses a clomp to stop water flow. The device, however, fails todisclose a domed cover means to prevent upward spray, a wider openingfor aim, and targeting stickers. Moreover, the device covers the wholeseat making it difficult to attach and remove for a young child.

Still another device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,410 issued to Webster,discloses an open top toilet back splash and over spray shield thatutilizes a hook affixed to the shield that attaches to the inner ridgeof the upper rim of the toilet bowl at the back region of the toiletbowl to affix the device to a toilet bowl. However, the rathercomplicated hook fastening element may make this device difficult tofasten onto the toilet bowl. When young males want to use the toiletthey may not have the time to hook the device properly.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,785 issued to Linden discloses the use ofa urine shield removably attached to a toilet seat wherein the shieldattaches to the raised toilet bowl seat by a generally unshaped hook.However, this particular design does not allow for a domed upper portionthat may contain urine over spray.

There are also several design patents that disclose urine shields andtheir equivalents. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. D245,425 issued toAnnis discloses the design of a semicircular urinal shield for toiletseats that is open at the top with means to attach to the inner rim of atoilet. The Annis patent fails to disclose a domed cover which mayprevent upward spray and furthermore does not include a built in handlemaking the device difficult to remove from a toilet seat.

Similarly, U.S. Design Pat. No. D365,386 issued to McDonald and McDonalddiscloses the design of a commode rim shield with an outwardly extendingflange. The lack of height in the walls of the device and lack of adomed cover makes this device less able to prevent urine spray fromreaching floors and walls.

Further, U.S. Design Pat. No. D394,497 issued to Johnson discloses thedesign for a shield that is mounted on the bowl's rim by slidinglyremoval of the device. However, this device is not sufficiently tallenough to prevent all over spray from soiling the area around thetoilet, and further it does not have a domed lid or covering to preventurine over spray.

Additionally, U.S. Design Pat. No. D394,900 issued to Kang, discloses aparticular splash guard toilet shield that is tapered from back to frontand which attaches to a toilet seat by means of a fastener, namelyscrews. However, the lack of height in the walls of the device and theneed to use permanent fastening elements make it somewhat difficult touse on a regular basis.

Finally, U.S. Design Pat. No. D458,669 issued to Sanders discloses thedesign of a toilet splash guard which is attached to toilet seat usingoutwardly extending curved flanges. The lack of a domed cover, however,makes the device less protective towards upward spray.

Thus, nowhere in the prior is seen a simple, effective, easy to use andmanufacture toilet seat shield which can be easily placed upon a raisedtoilet seat when desired without complicated attachment means, and thenremoved by pulling one attached handle when the device is no longer inuse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention consists of a urine over spray shield or maletoilet spray shield which is approximately one half of an inch inthickness, and extends upwardly from the inner rim of a toilet bowl to aheight of approximately 10″ to 12″ or more, in the case of use forhandicapped adults, from the lower portion of the inner rim. The wallsof the device are therefore substantially semi-elliptical inconstruction and are preferably substantially ⅛″ thick. The upperportion of the shield is preferably domed to protect against upwardspray. The top back or rear exterior portion of the urine over sprayshield is preferably provided with a handle that protrudes above thecover and is integral to the mold for the device. The handle will thusbe permanently attached to the present invention such that a small childwill not be able to remove the handle. The toilet shield is alsoprovided with removable attachment means wherein the urine shield merelysits on the toilet seat rim without an complicated attachment process.The attachment means can be a flat flange that merely sits on the rim,an “L” shaped flange that sits flat on the rim but is held in place by aprotruding body against rim, angled wedges falling from the middle pointof the shield in four parts of the shield that sit on the rim, a ridgedflange providing frictional support or other easily removable attachmentmeans. The flange is preferably between a half and two inches wider thana toilet rim so as to stabilize the device and prevent toppling. Anyequivalent attachment device may be used as long as it is simple indesign and construction such that a young child may readily place itupon the rim of a toilet seat without having to touch the bowl toactually use the present invention.

The present invention may be easily and economically constructed frompreferably a single sheet of molded thermoplastic. Any other polymerwhich is light weight and easy to clean may also be used. The lightweight will allow even a small child to easily attach the presentinvention to a toilet bowl as well as remove it by simply lifting thepresent invention off of the toilet shield. Further, the durability ofmolded plastic is desirable when children are handling the presentinvention and they may be rough with the device during installation orremoval. The material shall be easily cleaned by parents and otheradults by use of strong antibacterial, chlorine, or other cleaningagents. The shield may act both as a channeling device to direct theflow of urine into a toilet bowl as well as an over spray guard. Toensure the channeling, the back or rear interior portion of the toiletshield is to be provided with an area to place targeting stickers ofdifferent varieties thereupon. The stickers may be of cartoon or otherlicensed characters. Even a bullseye sticker may be used to make anamusing game out of proper toilet use for both male children and adults.The user or user's parent may thus purchase different stickers to fitthe game of their choice. In another preferred embodiment, othertargeting means include colored plastic dots, a raised target surface,or an “X marks the spot” which may be incorporated as a part of the moldto create an all inclusive targeting and spray shield invention. In yetan additional preferred embodiment of the present invention, the targetfor urination may be present as a laser cut or die cut design appearingon the back side of the shield. This embodiment would be more economicalto purchasers as it would not require future sticker purchasing. Thepresent invention will thus make proper channeling a fun activity.

The invention will ultimately encourage good habits in young boys aswell as older men by ensuring that the toilet seat is in the uprightposition prior to urinating into the toilet because the toilet seat mustbe in its upright position in order to use the device. Moreover, thepresent invention will teach young boys how to properly aim urinepreparing them for outside urinals. The hygiene ideals taught by theinvention will be invaluable to the child.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Thus, it is one primary object of the present invention to provide asimple mole toilet spray shield which is easily and readily placed uponthe rim portion of a toilet bowl when a toilet seat is in its raisedposition.

And, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a maletoilet spray shield which is made of a lightweight thermoplastic orother polymeric substance which is one piece in construction, making iteasy to remove from a toilet seat due to its light weight as well as toclean because of the type of material used.

It is another primary object of the present invention to provide asimple lightweight male toilet spray shield which extends from the toprim of a toilet bowl upwardly to a height of approximately 10″ to 14″ ormore, when the device is used with adult handicapped individuals to makeit extremely difficult for a person to over spray the shield with urinesuch that it soils either the floor or walls surrounding the toilet.

It is yet another primary object of the present invention to provide alightweight male toilet spray shield which is essentiallysemi-elliptical in shape, thereby conforming to the shape of a toiletseat rim.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a maletoilet spray shield with flange attachment means wherein the flanges maybe flat and wide, “L” shaped, ridged to provide friction, or angledwedges from the middle point of the shield down from four evenly spacedpoints on the shield, such that the flanges sit on the rim of a toiletbowl without toppling and the shield requires no other attachment means.

It is yet an additional primary object of the present invention toprovide a lightweight mole toilet spray shield which has a dome coveredtop which may be curved to prevent upward spray from hitting the user orsplashing onto the floor or walls.

It is another primary object of the present invention to provide alightweight male toilet spray shield which includes a handle as part ofthe shape, such that anyone may easily remove the present invention fromthe toilet seat.

It is still another primary object of the present invention to provide alightweight male toilet spray shield which includes a handle as part ofthe shape wherein the handle may be merely two finger holes within thesemi-elliptical wall, a portion of a domed cover, or a protruding handlemeans, such that anyone may easily lift the present invention from thetoilet bowl.

It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide amale toilet spray shield which con only be used on a raised toilet seat,so as to teach a young child proper toileting habits of always raisingthe toilet seat prior to urinating.

And, it is still an additional object of the present invention toprovide an interior back or rear wall with an area for amusing images,such as cartoon or licensed character or even bulls eye stickers orcolored dot, raised bulls eye or “X marks the spot” in the mold to makeproper urine channeling an amusing game.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention can bereadily derived from the following detailed description of the drawingstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings present herein andshould be considered as within the overall scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the present invention showing thedevice in use sitting within the toilet bowl attached to the toilet seatrim via flat flanges, wherein an amusing image is provided withininterior back wall and a domed cover is shown.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the present invention showing theinternal handle means and flat flanges.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of an alternate preferred embodimentof the present invention wherein an upwardly protruding handle means isprovided for along with “L” shaped flange attachment means.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of an alternate preferred embodimentof the present invention which utilizes two holes in place of a handleand does not include a domed cover.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of an alternate preferred embodimentof the present invention which utilizes angled wedge flange attachmentmeans.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Shown now in FIG. 1 is one embodiment of the present invention, toiletover spray shield 10 which is provided with interior cylindrical wall 12along which urine spray may be specifically directed at amusing image13. The amusing image may be a sticker of a cartoon figure as shown inthe figure. The image makes using a toilet a game to young boys suchthat they learn proper toileting skills. In alternate embodiments of thepresent invention, sticker 13 may be replaced with imprinted images, aloser image or even a die cut image, all of which are well known in theprior art. In this particular version of over spray shield 10, a domedcover 14 is shown which prevents upward spray from hitting the user, thewalls or the floor nearby. Along domed cover 14 at the rear is handlemeans 16 which is shown in the figure at the rear of the device as aninternal part of the mold of the present invention, such that it doesnot protrude above the domed cover 14. The handle 16 will be part of themold in order to avoid the problems associated with screwed or glued inhandle means, namely injuries to young children as well as to make todevice easy to manufacture. Further integral handle 16 will make thepresent embodiment much easier to clean with no crevices to collectsoiling therewithin. The lower exterior semi-elliptical wall 18 of overspray shield 10 is simply placed within the toilet bowl rim 24protruding into toilet bowl 22 after the toilet seat 26 and lid 28 havebeen lifted. Along exterior cylindrical wall 18, there exists a flatflange means 20 that sits upon toilet bowl rim 24 such that the toiletover spray shield 10 does not fall into toilet bowl 22. When the deviceis no longer in use, it may be lifted off of toilet seat by means ofhandle 16. Of course, it is intended that over spray shield 10 ispreferably made from a lightweight thermoplastic which is simple to blowmold or injection mold, or it may be made from another sturdy butlightweight polymer. Another advantage of thermoplastic or anotherlightweight polymer substitute is that it will be easy to clean and willnot be easily degraded by caustic cleaning chemicals, which are commonlyused to clean and sanitize toilets.

Male toilet over spray shield 10 is thus capable of directing andchanneling the flow of a stream of urine into the toilet bowl 22shielding spray from falling on the floor or walls near the toilet. Thedevice is convenient for young boys to remove given its lightweightmaterial. Moreover, the device is a good urine channeling training toolwhich teaches a young child proper toileting skills by requiring thattoilet seat 26 and lid 28 be in an upright position before using thetoilet. It is anticipated that the exterior 18 and interior 12 walls ofthe toilet over spray shield are preferably at least 10″ in height abovetoilet seat rim to ensure that all spray is channeled into the toiletbowl 22 and that nothing ends up on the floor or walls of the bathroom.It is anticipated that the shield 10 may be used with adult handicappedmales, and in such an instance, the shield may be from 20 to 22″ inheight. However, preferable dimensions for the walls may be from 6″ toas much as 18″ in height when used for children, depending upon thepreferences of the user or designer of the particular embodiment of thedevice. Further, it is anticipated that the walls 18 and 12 when setupon toilet seat rim approximately protrude 1″ to 2″ in height below thetoilet seat rim 24 and flange attachment means 20 in order to ensurethat the device sits securely upon rim 24 without toppling. Thethickness of the walls of spray shield 10 are substantially ⅛″, althoughthicker or thinner walls may be used, depending on the shape and size ofthe shield, as well as the material of composition of the spray shield10.

FIG. 2 shows rear perspective view of toilet spray shield 10 in whichsemi-elliptical exterior wall 18 is shown in more detail. Further onecan see how handle means 16 is formed as part of domed cover 14. Flatflange attachment means 20 do not necessarily encircle the entire deviceand are consequently shown hugging the device without being one singleflange piece. This allows the device to be used on any toilet withoutforming it to the exact dimension of every toilet bowl and rim.

FIG. 3 shows another preferred embodiment of the present inventiontoilet over spray shield 50. Interior semi-cylindrical wall 52 is whereurine channeling takes place wherein a raised target 53 is provided forsuch that the target is part of the original plastic mold. Target overspray shield 50 has a semi-elliptical exterior wall 58 which ispermanently attached to flat top 54. Flat top 54 is further providedwith handle 56 at the rear which protrudes above the top approximately1-2″ for easy insertion and removal of the present invention. The handle56 is still a part of the mold for the device to once again avoidproblems associated with other handle attachment means. In thisparticular embodiment, however; is shown “L” shaped flange attachmentmeans 60 that may provide greater stability to toilet spray shield 50 sothat it does not topple when a child uses the device.

FIG. 4 shows yet another preferred embodiment of the present inventionover spray shield 100 wherein the exterior semi-elliptical wall 106 doesnot end in a cover, but is a much simpler version of the embodiments ofover spray shields shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, above. In this particularembodiment, two holes are provided as a handle 104 along the uppermarginal portion of interior semi-elliptical wall 102 for easy insertionand removal onto a toilet bowl rim. The ridged flange means 108 providethis simple structure frictional support to avoid toppling. Given thatit does not have a cover, the device may need this further support.Additionally, in this preferred embodiment, an X marks the spot withsticker 103 or pointed lines may be provided to make toileting amusingfor young children.

FIG. 5 shows yet an additional preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, over spray shield 150 which shows the use of a domed cover154 which is provided with a trapezoidal upwardly protruding handle 156in the center top for easy insertion and removal of over spray shield150. It is believed that handle 156 which is positioned on top of overspray shield 150 will be much easier to use than a handle located on theback or lower portion of the device. A semi-elliptical outer wall 152 isalso provided to which is attached angled wedge flange means 158 whichare to be evenly spaced around the device such that it sits upon toiletseat rim 160 without toppling 166 which is capable of bearing upon thelower portion of a toilet seat is provided for securement of the deviceto an upstanding toilet seat.

Although in the foregoing detailed description the present invention hasbeen described by reference to various specific embodiments, it is to beunderstood that modifications and alterations in the structure andarrangement of those embodiments other than those specifically set forthherein may be achieved by those skilled in the art and that suchmodifications and alterations are to be considered as within the overallscope of this invention.

1. A male toilet over spray shield having an upstanding wall which issubstantially semi-elliptical in configuration which is adapted toremovably sit within a conventional toilet bowl, wherein the upstandingwall is substantially from six inches to twenty four inches in height,and the over-spray shield further having at least one protruding flangeattachment means for attaching the shield to toilet seat rim afterraising toilet seat and it further is provided with a domed top toprevent urine splash back out the top of the device.
 2. The toilet overspray shield of claim 1 wherein the flange attachment means aresubstantially annular surrounding at least a portion of the upstandingwall of the device and further extending substantially outward andperpendicular to the upstanding wall of the device.
 3. The toilet overspray shield of claim 2 wherein the flange attachment means aresubstantially annular and L-shaped such that they may be removablysecured about the rim of a toilet.
 4. The toilet over spray shield ofclaim 1 having an exterior portion to the upstanding wall of the deviceand further the attachment means are integral thereto.
 5. The toiletover spray shield of claim 1 having an exterior portion to theupstanding wall wherein handle means is provided along the exteriorportion of the semi-elliptical walls for easy insertion and removal ofthe device.
 6. The toilet over spray shield of claim 4 wherein thehandle means comprises at least two apertures in the upstanding wallwhich are adopted to fit human fingers therethrough.
 7. The toilet overspray shield of claim 1 wherein the upstanding wall extends at least oneinch below the flange attachment means.
 8. The toilet over spray shieldof claim 1 wherein the device further has an interior wall portion inthe upstanding wall and the interior wall portion is further providedwith an amusing image for urine channeling.
 9. The toilet over sprayshield of claim 7 wherein the amusing image is imprinted on at least onesticker with an adhesive backing which has been secured to theupstanding wall.